The bacteriophage T4 transcription activator MotA interacts with the far-C-terminal region of the sigma70 subunit of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase.

The Bacteriophage T4 Transcription Activator MotA Interacts with the Far-C-Terminal Region of the 70 Subunit of Escherichia coli RNA Polymerase

Transcription from bacteriophage T4 middle promoters uses Escherichia coli RNA polymerase together with the T4 transcriptional activator MotA and the T4 coactivator AsiA. AsiA binds tightly within the C-terminal portion of the 70 subunit of RNA polymerase, while MotA binds to the 9-bp MotA box motif, which is centered at 30, and also interacts with . We show here that the N-terminal half of Mot...

Visualizing the phage T4 activated transcription complex of DNA and E. coli RNA polymerase

The ability of RNA polymerase (RNAP) to select the right promoter sequence at the right time is fundamental to the control of gene expression in all organisms. However, there is only one crystallized structure of a complete activator/RNAP/DNA complex. In a process called σ appropriation, bacteriophage T4 activates a class of phage promoters using an activator (MotA) and a co-activator (AsiA), w...

Escherichia coli Subunit of 70 σ Far - C - Terminal Region of the Activator MotA Interacts with the The Bacteriophage

Stimulation of bacteriophage T4 middle transcription by the T4 proteins MotA and AsiA occurs at two distinct steps in the transcription cycle.

The bacteriophage T4 encodes proteins that are responsible for tightly regulating mRNA synthesis throughout phage development in Escherichia coli. The three classes of T4 promoters (early, middle, and late) are utilized sequentially by the host RNA polymerase as a result of phage-induced modifications. One such modification is the tight binding of the T4 AsiA protein to the sigma70 subunit of t...

A mutation within the β subunit of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase impairs transcription from bacteriophage T4 middle promoters.

During infection of Escherichia coli, bacteriophage T4 usurps the host transcriptional machinery, redirecting it to the expression of early, middle, and late phage genes. Middle genes, whose expression begins about 1 min postinfection, are transcribed both from the extension of early RNA into middle genes and by the activation of T4 middle promoters. Middle-promoter activation requires the T4 t...